The Three Rules
by Schwan
Summary: "Lady Tsunade!" Sakura sobbed. "Please listen to me! Rule number one: don't close your eyes, Lady Tsunade!" Sakura never thought the day would come when she would see her mentor lying on the ground, the life slipping out of her as she watched. One-shot.


**I hate myself for writing this, but I love the story itself too. I wrote this because I love the bond between Sakura and Tsunade and their similiar personalities, and I also have a really bad feeling (or prediction) of where the fight with Madara is going.**

**Fair Warning: It's really late, so please forgive me for the grammar errors.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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The Three Rules

Sakura raced across landscape. Around her, lights descended on tiny figures as the Edo Tensei was released. She knew the battle with Madara Uchiha had no doubt drained the Kage. She had to get there so she could heal their injuries. Shizune was always paranoid, but Sakura agreed with the woman this time. Lady Tsunade was probably drained of Chakra by now, and she wouldn't be able to heal the others.

Fueled by the thought, she picked up speed, willing her legs to move faster. Soon, she was dashing through a forest, giant trees whizzing past her. Air whipped her pink hair across her face, and she impatiently brushed it away.

Suddenly, a boom rocked across the forest, and the ground shook. Sakura came to a stop on the enormous branch of a tree and looked ahead of her, where the source of the noise came from. Could it be that Madara had survived the release of Edo Tensei somehow?

Sakura shook her head, dispelling the thought. There was no way. That was impossible. It was probably just Lady Tsunade getting riled up and arguing with the other Kage, for whatever reason it might be.

The girl continued on, pumping her legs more as she struggled to get there sooner. One of the Kage might have a serious injury, and Sakura needed to get there as soon as possible.

She suddenly came to a stop on a fallen tree, her eyes widening in horror at the scene in front of her.

Fallen trees surrounded the battlefield, and the ground below lay in ruin. The mountain that should have been to her left was completely gone. The Kage were scattered around the man-made clearing, and standing in front of her…

…

Tsunade grunted in pain as she struggled to rip Madara's soul out of his body. She could feel it slipping, but her strength was disappearing fast, and it was taking all she had just to hold him in place.

"What is this?" Madara managed, looking down at her in both shock and-Ha!-fear.

Tsunade had her head down, sweat dripping off of her forehead. One hand was tightly gripping his right elbow, the other inches above his chest, the blue curtain of the Uchiha's soul in her palm. She had pounded his feet into the ground seconds before, and what little remaining chakra she had was running into his hand, which was grasping the hilt of the sword embedded in her stomach.

Tsunade took a deep breath, gathering both her mental and physical strength, and pulled. The wraith of his soul was hauled slowly out of his chest, and this effort yanked it halfway out.

"Stop this!" Madara yelled to her, his breaths coming in short gasps.

"I will not!" Tsunade shouted back, the volume somehow helping her in collecting her strength. "I am Hokage, and I will not let you lay a finger on my village!"

She gasped in pain as she tugged once more, and Madara's soul inched further out of his body. Her strength was fading fast, and she knew she had a minute at most to finish the jutsu.

_Don't give up, _she told herself, images flashing in through her mind. Sarutobi. Jiraiya. Shizune. Naruto. Sakura. Nawaki. Dan. _You can't give up! You told yourself you'd give it one more shot! Don't let your village down!_

Tsunade yelled wordlessly, pulling with all her might.

The remains of his soul slipped from his body, and Madara Uchiha slumped to the ground, dead. The Reaper took in his soul behind Tsunade.

The Hokage's vision was already going black around the edges. The other Kages yelled things to her as she collapsed to the ground, sword still buried in her. But all she heard was the sudden shrill scream of "Lady Tsunade!"

Tsunade thought she had only heard the voice in her mind, her light mental barriers collapsing in the midst of death. She pulled the sword out and fell backwards onto the ground, gazing up at the sky.

It was ironic. Dan had specifically told her not to die just yet, but since when had she listened to him, or anybody for that matter? A pathetic laugh escaped her throat, and she wondered how Naruto would fare as Hokage. Kakashi would make sure it happened when the boy was ready. She just wished Jiraiya would be there to see it.

Jiraiya. Tsunade closed her eyes for a long moment. All those people she had never been able to say goodbye to, and she still wouldn't be able to see them again. But it had been the fate of every Hokage, and continued to be. She hoped Naruto's life wouldn't end this way, waiting for the Reaper to take his soul too.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Tsunade's eyes snapped open and stared into the bright green ones above her. They were filled with unfathomable, incredible fear and horror. Tears welled up in the eyes, threatening to spill out.

"Sakura," Tsunade croaked. She could all but feel the life getting sucked out of her. She didn't know why her student was here, but she didn't care.

"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura sobbed. "Please listen to me! Rule number one: don't close your eyes, Lady Tsunade!"

Recognition flashed through Tsunade mind as she recalled the lessons she had taught Sakura.

_*******Flashback*******_

_"Sakura, I'm going to tell you the three rules of a medical ninja," Tsunade told Sakura as she and her student sat across from each other, eating lunch in the hospital diner._

_ "Rules?" Sakura said, curiosity filling her eyes. "I didn't know there was rules."_

_ "It's more rules for the medic to tell the patient than the ninja themselves," Tsunade admitted. "Now, listen carefully. I want you to memorize these."_

_ Sakura nodded firmly, and Tsunade could practically see her mind switch into shut-up-listen-and-memorize mode. The Sannin smirked._

_ "Rule number one: when a patient is near death, do _**not**, _no matter what, let them close their eyes under any circumstances. This only increases the chance and want of the patient dying."_

_ Sakura's eyes widened for a millisecond before she nodded firmly._

_ "Rule number two: always tell the patient they will be fine. It calms the heart and mind, and even if they will not be fine, it allows for a more peaceful passing."_

_ Sakura's eyes again widened, but she nodded again, eager for more._

_ "Rule number three: never, ever, **ever**, give up on a patient, no matter how bad the condition. That patient, that person is putting their life in your hands. Don't let that life slip between your fingers unless you have tried your very best to keep it safe. That is the most important rule."_

_ Sakura's eyes were the size of saucers now, but she nodded again. Then her face softened into a smile. "Is that where you get your strong will from, Lady Tsunade?" she asked._

_ Tsunade thought for a moment, tapping her chin with her index finger. She looked at Sakura and said, "I guess you could say that. A medical ninja must never give up, no matter how bad the situation is. They must never give up on a friend. That's why we have such great medical ninja here in the Leaf Village. Leaf Shinobi never give up on their comrades, and that's the most important aspect in a medical ninja. The desire to help others."_

_ Sakura's smile widened and she nodded firmly once more._

_*******End Flashback*******_

"Rule number two: you'll be fine, Lady Tsunade, I promise," Sakura said desperately as she bent over her mentor. He strong mentor, who looked so strong, even as she lay dying on the ground.

_No! _Sakura shouted in her mind. _She's not dying! She's the fifth Hokage! She'll be fine!_

Tsunade took another shuddering gasp, her chest heaving slowly up and down.

"Rule number three: I won't let you die, no matter what!" Sakura shouted, pumping more chakra into her hand, which hovered above Lady Tsunade's chest.

Tsunade reached out a trembling hand and clutched Sakura's right one in it. "Sakura," she gasped.

"Please, Lady Tsunade!" Sakura cried frantically, still trying to heal her with her other hand. "Reserve your strength! Don't talk!"

"Sakura," Tsunade repeated, taking Sakura's other hand in her remaining free one. "Don't lie to me. You think I can't feel it? I'm dying."

"Please, Lady Tsunade," Sakura gasped, tears spilling from her eyes and dripping to the ground. "Don't say that."

"Sakura," Tsunade said once more, her voice getting weaker by the second. "Make sure to tell Shizune to finish that report from the Land of Rain, and make sure Naruto becomes the next Hokage. He's meant for it."

"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura managed. "Don't say stuff like that! You need to-"

"And you, Sakura," Tsunade interrupted, her voice fading rapidly. "Keep training like you have been. You'll be strong and you'll go far. Make sure Ino gets the rest of her lessons, and finish your poison lessons with Shizune. Help Naruto. He's going to need it."

"Lady Tsunade…" Sakura was crying much more now, her cheeks completely wet. "Please. Don't…"

She trailed off as Tsunade continued in a whispery voice, "You were like a daughter to me, Sakura. You were the only one I had left to understand me the way Nawaki and Dan did. And someday, I'll only be remembered as Sakura Haruno's mentor."

"Lady Tsunade…" she whispered it this time, unheard by all but she and the woman lying on the ground before her.

"Thank you…Sakura."

Tsunade closed her eyes as the Reaper pulled the remains of her soul from her body and imprisoned them within the jutsu.

"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura screamed, her tears nonstop as her mentor slumped in her arms. She screamed her name over and over, the ground wet beneath her as the tears flowed freely. Finally, her hysteria passed, but the immense sorrow did not, and she laid her forehead on her mentor's still-warm shoulder.

"No," she whispered, sobbing uncontrollably. Then she threw back her head and screamed into the sky. "**NO!**"

…

A bruised and battered Naruto walked alongside a beaten Kakashi, countless Shinobi moving behind them. The Edo Tensei had been released, Tobi had been killed, and Sasuke had been defeated and taken into custody.

Naruto stopped in his tracks and squinted at the five figures emerging from the enormous forest they had been heading towards. It was the five Kage!

Naruto was about to run forward in joy, but hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked back at Kakashi.

"Look more closely," he silver-haired man said.

Naruto looked back to the figures and squinted again. Suddenly, he realized the figure in the front, the shortest one, was carrying someone in his or her arms, and that someone had blond hair…

"No way," Naruto whispered, the grin fading from his face. "No. It couldn't be." Pink hair flashed across his mind's eye and a new thought struck him. "Oh no. What will Sakura…" He couldn't even finish the thought out loud, and for the moment, he wasn't thinking what it meant for the entire village.

"You don't need to worry about that," Kakashi said, his voice low and filled with immense sorrow. He pointed.

Naruto's eyes returned to the figure in front, and he noticed the head of pink. "Oh no," he whispered.

…

Naruto knocked on the door to Sakura's apartment. She had rented it long ago, not out of desire to get away from her family, but just because both of them thought it would be best. Now Naruto wasn't so sure.

The blond-haired boy knocked again, but he knew Sakura was in there. "Come on, Sakura," he called into the room, his voice laden with sadness. "It's time to go."

"Right," her voice called back. The door opened and a puffy-eyed Sakura greeted him. Her face was red and wet, making it obvious she had been crying for quite some time now.

Naruto put an arm around her shoulders and guided her through the streets of Konoha. He knew before, she would've punched him across the village if he so much as touched her, but now she just leaned into his side, slumped and staring at the ground.

As they arrived, the black-clad crowd parted to let them to the front, where Shizune and a few others were waiting. Then the funeral began. The speeches were made, but Naruto saw in Sakura's eyes that the words meant nothing, and he couldn't blame her.

The funeral ended hours later, and the bright girl Naruto used to know slipped away, barely noticeable.

…

Sakura sat still on the bench, looking out over the orange lake, framing the setting sun.

Over the past couple weeks, everyone had been happy and full of joy that he war had ended. Sure, they had sadness in them, but it wore away as the village was repaired from counterattacks. But Sakura was ruin inside, and she could find no reason to mend her broken spirit.

Someone sat beside her, and she looked to the side to see Shizune. The black-haired woman smiled lightly at her, and Sakura looked back out at the setting sun. There was a long silence between the two of them until Shizune finally spoke.

"You can't stay like this, Sakura," Shizune said.

"Why not?" Sakura replied with remorse. "What's the point?"

"The point is, you're a medical ninja," Shizune told her. "And medical ninja must maintain a clam aura to keep their patients clam."

"I am calm," Sakura snapped.

"Not in the right way," Shizune told her. "You've been slipping, Sakura. You're late to work, you don't check up patients in time, and your medical reports are sloppy. This can't go on."

"What do you want me to do?" Sakura said, putting her hands on the sides of her head and staring at the ground between her feet. "Why _should_ I do anything?"

Shizune took a deep breath. "Rule number three: never give up on a patient."

Sakura gasped, her head snapping around to stare at the older woman.

"Don't give up on Lady Tsunade, Sakura," Shizune said. "Don't give up on her dreams for you."

Sakura stared at her for a moment, then looked back at the sunset. The first true smile in weeks crept onto her face, tears of mixed happiness and sorrow in her eyes.

"Thank you, Shizune," Sakura said, her tears dripping to the ground as she looked back at her.

Shizune smiled. "You're welcome Sakura." She stood and held a hand out to Sakura, who took it. "Now, let's go get something to eat."

Sakura nodded with a smile on her face, finally at peace.

_"And someday, I'll only be remembered as Sakura Haruno's mentor."_

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**Like I said, I hate and love myself at he same time for writing this.**

**Anyways, hope you liked it, and review please!**

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_This has been a word of wisdom from the Praetor of the First Legion of Jelly Crabs._


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